Jim was born August 25, 1939 in Monroe, Louisiana, to James Mortimer Hamilton, Jr. (Pop) and Mary Pauline (Polly) Déslatte. The family moved to Corpus Christi, Texas when Jim was 12, where he attended junior high and high school. Upon graduation, Jim attended Texas A&I in Kingsville, Texas, where he graduated with a degree in oil and gas engineering. He was married to Patricia Browning from 1959 to 1981, and had two daughters, Jenny Lynn, born in 1960, and Penny Sue, born in 1962. Building his career as a young man, the family moved from Corpus to New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Pampa, Texas, Navajo, Arizona, Oklahoma City and Tulsa, and Dallas before settling in Wyoming in 1969. In Casper he worked for Darenco, until he and his brother Bill decided to start Process Equipment Corporation in Sheridan, Wyoming in 1974, building natural gas processing plants. After Sheridan, he designed several glycol recycling plants, including one for Denver International Airport to recycle deicing fluid. In 1998, he married Donna B. Bonfiglio, and lived in Westminster and Broomfield, Colorado. Ever the entrepreneurial engineer, he continued designing glycol processing units; many of these units are still in operation all over North America. On the day he died (at 84!) he was working on an oil recovery project and gardening. In 2020, he and Donna built a second home in Burleson, splitting their time between Texas and Colorado. He loved gardening, cooking Cajun food, hunting and fishing. Jim was known for his inventive, inquisitive mind, work ethic, tenacious attitude and witty one-liners. He was a great encouragement to his family, always looking for ways to help them develop their skills. Jim was much loved by his large family, neighbors, friends and dogs, including Zak and Willie. He was preceded in death by his parents and his brother William Leon (Bill). He is survived by his wife, Donna, his two daughters, Jenny Ward and Penny Hanify, three stepsons, Michael, Robert and Paul Bonfiglio, 16 grandchildren, 12 great grandchildren, and several nephews and nieces.